PRAGUE – Czech police say they have opened investigations against 45 people amid nationwide raids on dozens of stores suspected of selling materials that help people illegally grow marijuana.

The Czech Republic doesn't allow the recreational use of marijuana.

In a statement Tuesday, police said they have raided about 100 places since the beginning of their unusually large sweep last week. They say another 32 people are suspected of illegal activities.

Police allege that the shop owners are breaking the law by providing people with all the necessary equipment to grow indoor pot with a high level of THC — marijuana's psychoactive chemical — and to smoke it.

Hundreds rallied in Prague last weekend to protest the marijuana crackdown that is expected to continue for weeks.